Detector-bar for railroad-switches.



APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9,1907

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

WMENTQR. 6% .nFoit 'y ATTbRA/E WITNESSES.-

UNITE STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

MDREW G. FOLEY, or EAST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T JosEPn R. CARROLL, or msr HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. 1

DETEClIOB-IBAR FOR RAILROAD-SWITCHES.

Specification of Letters rat-est.

Patented-Oct. 27, meg.

Application filed December 9, 1907. Serial No. 405,682.

the following is a full, clear, and exact spec i-- fieation.

.This invention relates to railroad switches, 'and more particularly to the so-ealled deteeter-bars which are disposed alongside of the rails at cross-overs and connected with the switch-throwing mechanism so as to prevent'the latterfrom being operated while a train, or a car is moving or standing onthat portion of the track, the detector-bar being usually of a length at least equaling the distance between the trucks of an ordinary car. My invention has for its object the improved con struction of the detector-bar, foe? so, in order to Cl viate certain di'lliculties which have manifested themselves in the Course of time. r Experience has demonstrated that the wear and compression oftherail-tread due to the running oi the cars over the same, forms in time a iin on the upper outside edge of the rail, this iin gradually assuming such proportionsas to render the vertical and simul taneously-longitndinal movement of the detector-bar impossible, and it becomes thereforenecessary to chisel the rail in order to remove the obstructing feature.

obviate the di'llieulties heretofore encountered, by providing a letector-bar having a rounded edge for contacting with the side of the rail, instead of the usual sharp edge 40 which constitutes the objectionablefeature of the bar U.,\(,(lllOlQllOiOlC. I I

The invention has been clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is ,a side viowof a portion of a rail and its cooperative detector-bar, and Fig. 2 represents a eross-seetlon thereof.

in the drawings, the numeral 10 denotes a rallroad rad oi ordinary construction, having a tread 11 on which the car wheel w runs.

It is the aim of it he present invention to Su ported on the, bottom flange 12 of rai 10, is atbracket 13 havin a fixed stud 14 on which is pivoted an osci latory leveii 1,5

which is ada )ted to rest against either one of a pair of a utments .16 provided on thebracket 13 and serving to limit the throw of the lever 15', which constitutes a link for sup.- p orting thedetector-bar to which it is at'r tached by a bolt 17 Usually the ets etabar is supported in this manner at a series of points of its length, the several supports be- .u

111g so arranged as to have all the links move simultaneously and keep the upper edge'of the detector-bar in parallelism with the railtread.

In the present instance the bar D is disagainst the outer side of the rail 10, and this .posed so'as to rest with its upper portion edge is .free from contact therewith and ronnded'oii as shown at d in Fig. 2, so that the formation of a iin on the rail tread will not i'nterlere with the arenate movement of the bar, which is within the reach of the ear wheel tread.

From the fore oin it will be understood that the rise am "all movement of the bar during its l'OllgltLkhhiLl movement will not in varied without interfering with the gist of the invention.

I elaim:- v 1. The combination with a rail, of a decontact with the rail side.

2. The COlflll lIlfiillQ l;1,Wlth a rail, of a detector-bar resting against the side "thereof and having its rail-contacting edge rounded to avoid sharp Contact with the side,,of said tector-bar resting against the side 'thereof j and vertically shdable thereon and having; its uppermost edge or tread portion free from; 

